Unwrap This: Screenwriters Moving Forward, 2016
When people ask me what I’m looking for when working with writers, I answer them with two simple words: FORWARD MOTION. And indeed, 2016 brought with it a lot of forward motion for many of my writers, both emerging and professional. From selling pilots to staffing on shows and landing open writing assignments, from signing with representation to acceptance into TV writing fellowships, 2016 has proven to be the best year yet for my collective stable of talented, hard working clients. While I love love LOVE working with my industry veterans, my emerging writers hold a special place in my heart. It is their progress – be it signing with representation for the first time or selling a pilot to a network in the room – that brings about my happy dance and keeps me excited about the job that I do. So as 2016 winds down, rather than waxing poetic about my various observations gathered from my writers this past year, I wanted to wrap it up on a different note: Advice and insight from a few of my writers who able to make unmistakable forward progress for their screenwriting careers this past year.
Jimmy Mosqueda, who was a finalist in the Tracking B contest and a participant in the Sundance Intensive this year also signed with Jeff Portnoy of Bellevue Productions and is now a participant in Film Independent’s prestigious Project Involve. Jimmy shared this:
“Almost all of the opportunities I was fortunate enough to receive in 2016 came about from others reaching out to me, not the other way around. So I would say to everyone reading this: Meet people. Stay in contact with them. When you’re invited to drinks, or birthday parties, or dinners, show up. Be a good person. Be an interesting person. Be a person others want to be around. Check in with people from time to time, by e-mail or social media. If you have good news to share, share it. Offer to do things for other people. Don’t ask for anything in return. You’ll be surprised how far you can go with this attitude!”
This year I had the good fortune of having not one but two writers – Eileen Jones and Nora Nolan – selected for Warner Bros. prestigious Television Writing Workshop, which is considered by many an industry folk to be a golden ticket. Incidentally, both writers signed with Chris Cook of Skyway Entertainment. Here is the advice they had to share:
Eileen told me:
“The one piece of advice I’d love to give other writers based on what I went through this year is to take a vacation. It’s the whole watched pot never boils thing. If you’ve been putting off taking a break in the hopes that something will happen, book the damn plan ticket. A vacation virtually guarantees that something will happen… during your vacation.
What really worked for me in 2016 was writing what I’d like to watch. I think sometimes we get caught up in what we think buyers or the fellowships want to read. But sticking with your guns about what you love — what you’d want to see on tv — and writing it because you love it shines through.”
And Nora added:
“What really worked for me in 2016 was embracing the journey. Focusing less on where I wanted to end up and more on learning what I needed to know once I got there.”
One of the writers I approached for this – because she too had made significant strides in her television writing career – asked to stay anonymous, but told me this:
“The one piece of advice I’d love to give other writers based on what I went through this year is to have absolute tunnel vision. Don’t look at someone else’s journey and compare. (Easier said than done, I know.) Delete social media if you have to. Spring clean your friends if need be. Trust that your journey is yours and yours alone. Someone else getting an opportunity has no fucking bearing on yours. Declutter all the emotional noise and distractions and focus on what you can control — WRITING (and REWRITING) A SHIT TON OF NEW MATERIAL.
What really worked for me in 2016 was making the goals of having new material above, emotionally simplifying my life, and lastly oddly enough, finding more time to do things that weren’t industry-related. Recharge my batteries when I wasn’t writing.”
Daniel Koh, who completed the CBS writers mentoring program and staffed on PURE GENIUS in 2016, shared:
“The most important thing I learned from this past year is the value of seeing my own life as a story (or series of connected stories) before pitching story ideas to someone else. The best way to get people excited about your idea to get them excited about you.”
Tim Grant, who won his category in the Final Draft Big Break contest, was a finalist at the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition and a semi-finalist in the PAGE contest advised:
“After I finished my last script and got a solid round of passes from directors, I was kind of done. Why bother? It’s too hard. Nobody cares. They are only making superhero movies anyway. Wouldn’t it be nice to have weekends again? The sweet siren that whispered “quit” was having a hay day. Then Lee – the badass career coach who whispers “write” – suggested I submit it to screenplay competitions. I followed her advice and it placed in Page (Semi-Finalist), Austin Film Fest (Finalist in two categories, Semi-finalist in another), and Final Draft Big Break (won its category so far). Suddenly, this script that I had slaved over and thought was a giant waste of time was generating meetings with producers and managers and, if I’m lucky, will go into production next year.
What really worked for me in 2016 was listening to the encouragement of others, instead of the self-doubt in my head. Trying to be accountable to the goals I set with Lee. Taking my career seriously even if it is not paying dividends yet. Surrounding myself with encouragement when feeling discouraged. Pushing myself outside of my comfort zone (even if only slightly) by networking and promoting myself. And, most importantly, writing. Just keep writing!”
Richard Lowe, who signed with Circle of Confusion this year and also booked a freelance on WALK THE PLANK said:
“If you need to shake things up, try meditation. Not only is it good for the soul, but it could help your writing process in unconventional ways. I’ve found that most of the anxiety and stress that comes from writing is due to being too occupied with the past and/or the future. (“They hated that script and think I’m stupid”; “No matter how much I rewrite this it won’t turn out well”; “I can’t believe stress ate all those Oreos”… No? Just me? Okay.) But meditation keeps you present. It teaches you to focus on the moment. And I’ve found that staying present while writing is one of the best ways to protect your sanity. Also, from a craft perspective, meditation teaches you to notice the details of your life. And what is good writing without including the details?”
Melissa Cassera who this year signed with Jeff Portnoy of Bellevue Productions and wrote the Lifetime movie GIRL FOLLOWED, which is scheduled to air in 2017, told me:
“The one piece of advice I’d love to give other writers based on what I went through this year is… change your relationship to the word “No.” The reality is you can work hard to create something amazing. But someone else (a development executive, agent/manager, etc.) still gets to decide if they’re into it or not. You can do everything “right” and still hear “No thanks” or “Not now.” Changing your attitude about the word “No” is one of the most liberating things you can do. If you can feel relaxed, confident, and enthusiastic about your work—even after hearing “No” a hundred times in a row—then you’ve cultivated the one quality that so many writers lack: persistence. And persistence is what makes big things happen.”
Savy Einstein, who this year signed with Jeff Portnoy of Bellevue Productions and Verve, came in second place for Cinestory and had her script featured on The Black List website, kept it simple:
“What really worked for me in 2016 was turning off the wifi when writing.”
And finally, Moises Zamora, who signed with CAA this year and also staffed on the third season of AMERICAN CRIME, shared:
“Networking is useless if you don’t have a killer script ready. The same script got me a manager, dozens of general meetings with decision makers and my first TV writing job. It’s still working its way through Hollywood–this time is being sent out by my agents at CAA. Write the killer script!”
Hopefully, you found some advice in this blog post of a holiday present that you can take with you in 2017. Whether you use it to become a better writer, a calmer scribe or a happier content creator is in your hands. But here is wishing you a significant amount of forward motion, in your screenwriting and otherwise, in the year ahead.
